One of my Bernese mountain dogs devoured a giant cooked chicken bone that she had dug out of a lidded garbage can in the butler’s pantry a number of months ago and we had to rush her to the vet for surgery to have it removed.
You would think that the trauma of the event would have taught her a lesson, but she still trawls the kitchen for anything that might be close enough to the edge of the table or countertop to grab undetected. In fact, the only thing she appears to have learned from the whole event was that the vet is a scary place that gives you a sore stomach and a weird hat after a long nap.
I suppose this is understandable in the context of canine psychology, but it’s a little embarrassing to watch how frequently the process works out at the other end of the leash. When you make a mistake you have the opportunity to approach it in one of four ways:
1. Live in denial.
2. Feel bad about getting caught.
3. Feel bad for having done it, especially when you knew better.
4. Feel bad for the orientation that led to the action.
The fourth approach penetrates the farthest back in the chain of causality. Adjustments made at this level, that is, at the level of orientation (i.e. what was I centered in that led me to do that?) are the most complete and enduring.
We, as human beings, are virtually universally capable of taking this final approach in all cases. Every choice we make, every action we take stems from our underlying pattern of orientation. This orientation informs our beliefs and our prejudices, orders our subconscious minds and defines our conscious structures.
Conflicting beliefs, one of the most dramatic of which is the belief held by many that God is a God of love who is capable of terrible acts of destruction often referred to in contracts and insurance policies as “Acts of God”, are the result of conflicting patterns of underlying orientation.
These disconnects are the basis of human misery, but they are also the Achilles’ heel of human nature. Adjustments or corrections made at this level can unlock an entire chain of dysfunction in the blink of an eye. To make these adjustments, however, you must get out of the habit of simply feeling bad for getting caught, for having erred or for having to deal with the repercussions of having fumbled or sinned, and get into the habit of being brutally honest about your underlying orientation. Ask yourself, “What really am I worshipping here?”
Dear readers, I can say to you with absolute assurance that a better world is not only possible, it is moments away from being produced!
Gregory Hake 
I truly believe this as well and have experienced all of those ways that you mentioned and found that choosing fourth option is what is the only choice that is not only fulfilling, but also liberating and life-changing.
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Thank you Gregg, a great consideration worthy of ongoing meditation.
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Yes it is the pattern of our orientation that makes the difference between a life of mistakes or a feeling of success. It is magnificent to realize this and apply it in our living.
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I suppose people continue in a non-productive or destructive orientation because of a sense of investment. I takes something to divest from the investments of the past when the results of those investments are obviously contrary to what is needed now! It takes some humility, candidness and perhaps a deep breath, but the past can surely be released and fresh orientation established. All else proceeds from this.
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I really appreciate your outlining this point. Making changes that stick require a foundational view of where the leverage point is. In this it’s clear that without understanding what my orientation was I can’t possibly make a lasting change. It’s clear why we become frustrated and think change is is difficult or sometimes impossible. This would help the New Year resolution success rate!
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Back in college, I remember my calculus professor demonstrating that if you arrived at an answer where there were two diametrically opposed solutions where there could only be one, you sumply performed your calculation in error. This he symbolized by drawing on the chalkboard two arrows pointing at each other, and called it an “absurd.” The image has since never left my mind.
I also see conflicting beliefs are the means by which purposeful confusion is infused into society. Though there is a sense of absurdity to it, it quickly gets rationalized by those who perpetrate the error and an unsuspecting public. The spin doctors fall in this category and the talking heads who drink the Kool-Aid. This tends to happen as a situation becomes endlessly complex, where its fundamental principles are long overlooked or glossed over and arguments occur over the details. I see this a lot in politics, in questions revolving around economy, and yes, even healthcare. I’ve fallen into this trap many times and critical thinking skills are all the more important to think accurately.
Two arrows, pointing straight at each other. As my calculus professor would have said, “game over.”
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